Wolf Girl and a Fiery Princess

Elske

By Cynthia Voigt

Elske begins her life in a cruel, male-dominated tribe called the Volkaric. Soon she finds her way across the mountains to a modern trading village where the customs are so different that Elske must learn to adapt quickly. Her story intertwines with that of Beriel, an exiled princess with a fiery spirit.

Every year, I have a list of books I reread. Every year I read one called “On Fortune's Wheel” by Cynthia Voigt. It is book two in The Kingdom series, and “Elske” is book four. I have read book one, “Jackaroo” as well, but not book three “The Wings of a Falcon”. This could be confusing, but the series are all separate stories that take place within the same world. You can read each separately without having read the others. “Elske” can be read on its own.

Elske is a very difficult character to like. At first, she's dull and only the events surrounding her make us read hungrily. As a result of her strange upbringing, she asks questions bluntly. When Beriel enters the scene, suddenly Elske blossoms and we see her virtues blossom – loyalty, ingenuity, and fortitude.

Only after finishing reading this novel did I want to reread the beginning. It was a slow start and I was indifferent to Elske. I was not invested. Now that I know the outcome, I would enjoy to read her start again.

Beriel is my favourite character. She's fighting for her kingdom, The Kingdom, that she believes is rightfully hers. The relationship that she has with Elske is that of a servant and a princess. Elske is the kindling and Beriel is the spark, together they make a roaring fire.

There are darker underlying issues. At times, the content was so dark that I was caught off guard. To us, the Volkaric are barbaric but to Elske it's a way of life she's always known. There is much in the challenging of what is normal and what is normal that shouldn't be. The reader is given many perspectives, letting us make our own judgements about each culture's customs.

4/5 STARS

Classroom: Not appropriate. Save this one for personal reading.

Cover Comments: Simon Pulse printed this series with matching covers, each bearing an object of supposed significance on a white background. Elske bears a crown. While I understand the crown, I believe it's a horrible choice. First off, it's a delicate, dazzling tiara of diamonds. It makes me instantly think this is a typical princess, fairy tale book. If you take into account that Beriel is a princess, ok fine. BUT the story isn't really about her. It's about Elske. The title even clues us in. A more fitting “object of significance” would be a wolf pelt or a pair of wolf pelt boots. Elske's culture uses fur in much of its clothing. Elske wears wolf boots for the whole book. Probably more fitting....

The Atheneum Books company used Vermeer paintings. For Elske, The Girl with a Pearl Earring was the chosen painting. It works better than the tiara. At least that girl is mysterious and we long to know her story.